Commodities

This blog is the second in a series of ten blogs on commodity market developments, elaborating on themes discussed in the latest edition of the World Bank’s Commodity Markets Outlook. Earlier blogs are here.

Recent Developments and Forecasts

Oil prices have been volatile in 2018, with the price of Brent, the international barometer, ranging from $63/bbl to $86/bbl. Prices have been buffeted by an array of geopolitical and macroeconomic factors, notably supply disruptions in Venezuela, and the reinstatement of U.S. sanctions against Iran. These factors supported prices this year, particularly in September and October; however, prices fell sharply in early November as fears of a supply shortfall receded after the United States announced temporary waivers to its sanctions on Iran for eight countries, as well as stronger-than-expected U.S. oil production.

Commodity prices have moved in different directions in recent months – energy prices rose while agriculture and metal prices fell – and are expected to rise or stabilize in 2019, according to the October Commodity Markets Outlook. The following five charts explain:

Figure 1: Energy and agriculture prices are seen rising in 2019, but forecasts are revised down for all commodities except energy and fertilizers.

Commodity prices strengthened in early 2018, supported by supply and demand factors, including accelerated global growth, which has lifted demand for most industrial commodities, and supply constraints affecting others.

Chart 1: Commodity prices are forecast to rise across the board

The energy price index is anticipated to rise 20 percent in 2018, largely on strengthening of oil prices. The increase is a 16-percentage point upward revision from October 2017. Metal prices are projected to increase 9 percent in 2018 due to a further pickup in demand. Agricultural prices are forecast to gain more than 2 percent.

In Shifting Commodity Markets in a Globalized World, we track developments in energy, metals, and food markets since the early 2000s, when a “commodities super cycle” began. The super cycle first was marked by a decade-long increase in commodity prices—as rapid urbanization and a strong surge in infra­structure spending, especially in China, boosted demand for nearly all commodities. Then prices began to decline, in part due to short-term factors such as the global financial crisis. But longer-term issues were important to both the run up and subsequent fall in prices. In the book, which is published by the International Monetary Fund, we focus on those long-term issues, examining the relative importance of technology, geography, demography, and policy in each commodity mar­ket and how their interplay sends price signals to producers and consumers, who in turn adjust their behavior:

Energy commodity prices surged 9 percent in January, the seventh monthly gain in a row, led by an almost 30 percent increase in U.S. natural gas prices, the World Bank’s Pink Sheet reported.

Non-energy prices made solid advances as well, with metals and minerals prices gaining more than 5 percent, also the seventh consecutive monthly increase, and a five-year high. Nickel and zinc, up 12 and 8 percent respectively, led the rise.

Precious metals climbed nearly 6 percent, with similar gains in gold and silver.

Agricultural prices, which had been stable for nearly 2 years, increased more than 2 percent, led by advances in rice (+9 percent) and cotton (+5 percent). Fertilizer prices rose over 1 percent, led by DAP (+3 percent) and Urea (+2 percent).

The Pink Sheet is a monthly report that monitors commodity price movements.

Metals and mineral prices gained less than 1 percent. A large gain in iron ore (up 12 percent) was offset by declines in zinc and nickel. Precious metals prices declined 2 percent, led by a 1 percent decline in gold.

The pink sheet is a monthly report that monitors commodity price movements.

Energy and raw material price indexes increased in December while beverage and fertilizer prices declined sharply.